Gardening with God

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” Gen. 8:22.

 

In the beginning God set up a perfect and beautiful garden for His beloved children. Because God created this garden everything in the garden prospered and offered mankind a life in communion with God. But mankind’s selfishness and ego driven dreams reached out and tasted what was forbidden. Since that time we have all been digging our own gardens planting our own seeds of dreams and expectations.

From the time I can remember I have had big plans for my life. I have worked hard in my garden to rake, till and plant. In strolling through my garden, rows and rows of dreams were planted under the surface with hopes of full bloom in being a wife and mother. I visualized what would grow from my dreams but some of the fruit that broke through the ground was poisonous for me. A failed marriage followed by a loving marriage, a daughter’s birth following by her drug use. Sometimes I would sit in my garden and camp on the patches that produced no fruit rather than enjoy the growth of the prosperous ones. Every unmet expectation and dashed dream was met with the cold winter of my soul. From the deep disappointments of my heart, seeds of jealousy and bitterness were planted. These produced nothing but weeds that gradually choked out the healthy growth of this Christian’s heart. Out of my exhaustion and failure, I finally laid down my spade and allowed Christ to take over my garden.

Just as the earth endures through seasons, so has my faith. God has rotated and allowed the different seasons in my life. As I survey the rows of blessings in my garden I am humbled by all He does for me. As my eyes fall upon a patch that yields no fruit He has encouraged me in the wait…the fruit will break through the dark soil. As far as any dreams that have not found their way into my little garden I am confident that they would have choked out bigger dreams God had for me.

We must trust that God’s plans are so much better than our plans. Allow the verses of Jeremiah 17:7-8 to spill out upon your garden watering the hopes and dreams of your heart.

‘But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’